Adjustable support



March 11, 1969 E. HALPERN ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Sheet I of 5 Filed May 4,1966 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. ERNST HALPERN ATTORNEY March 11, 1969 E. HALPERN ADJUSTABLESUPPORT Sheet 3 of 5 Filed May 4, 1966 FIG INVENTOR ERNST HALPERN March11, 1969 E. HALPERN 4 3,431,690

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Filed May 4, 1966 Sheet 3 of 3 FIG. 6

FIG. 70 FIG. 7b

FIG. 70 FIG. 7d

INVENTOR ERNST HALPERN.

ATTOR N E Y United States Patent 3,431,690 ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT ErnstHalpern, Plainview, N.Y., assignor to Williamsburg Steel ProductsCompany, Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 4, 1966,Ser. No. 547,612

U.S. Cl. 52204 Int. Cl. E04d 15/06 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREAn adjustable sill support is formed from two angle shaped membersprovided with slots which are oppositely inclined with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the angle support member. A bracket, fixed to theadjustable support, includes means to retain the sill.

the doors through the prevention of jamming. Heretofore,

adjustments in the level and alignment of the sill were not possiblewithout resorting to complex means which were costly and difiiculttoconstruct, and yet were not adaptable to the numerous differentsituations encountered in building constructions.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means foraligning and leveling the sill to accommodate different buildingconstructions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sill incombination with ,an integral support which is constructed so that itcan be adjusted for the depth of the recess in the building floorbeneath the sill.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide means whichutilizes only two pairs of adjustable members for aligning and levelingthe sill in all different building constructions.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sill whichwhile utilizing only two pairs of ad justable members may be adjustableto accommodate the entire range of variations found in presentlyexisting building conditions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustablesill of simple and inexpensive construction.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide means forassembling the sill and support in a simplified manner, and for integralconstruction of the assembly parts.

Other objects and advantages appear in greater detail in the followingdescription and specification taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings in which- FIGURE 1 is a top view of the sill in relation to theelevator doors and the entrance to the elevator shaft.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the sill, showing the manner inwhich it is assembled to the adjustable support.

FIGURE 3 shows a possible configuration for the adjustable support forthe sill.

FIGURE 4 shows another possible embodiment of the adjustable support aswell as the principle upon which the construction of the support isbased.

FIGURE 5 shows the construction of the bracket which fastens the sill tothe adjustable support, and maintains the sill in proper alignment withrespect to the doors.

FIGURE 6 shows an alternate construction of the bracket of FIGURE 5.

FIGURES 7a, b, c and d show the manner in which each of the two pairs ofadjustable supports shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 may be combined toaccommodate the various ranges of sizes in building construction.

An adjustable sill support which is immobile during opening and closingof the door comprises two angle shaped members provided with slots whichare inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the angle supportmembers. The angle members enable the support to be vertically adjusted.The sill support includes a bracket for holding the sill and retainingit aligned with respect to the doors.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a sill 10 in relation to theelevator shaft doors 11 and 12. The doors 11 and 12 of a two-speed doorsystem are provided with a frame 13 which is supported by the buildingwall 14. Brackets 15 assure that the firame is properly located withrespect to the wall and floor, and bracket 16 provides a firm footingfor the frame. The edge of the sill 17 faces the interior of theelevator shaft.

The cross-section of the sill 10 and the method used to support it, areshown in FIGURE 2. The sill contains T-slots 18 for the purpose ofguiding doors 11 and 12 through means of guide 19 fixed to the bottom ofthe doors. By riding within slots 18, this guide 19 assures that thedoors remain vertically upright in all positions. Additional grooves,ridges, or other non-slip treatment 20 provide a non-slippage surfacefor persons entering or leaving the elevator.

The sill 10 is firmly held and located through means of the sill bracket21. The bracket 21 has a tongue 22 residing within a slot associatedwith sill 10. The sill is located between this tongue and a set screw 23bearing against another slot integrally shaped with the sill. The setscrew 23 is held by a bent-up section of bracket 21 which containsthreaded holes for supporting facia plates 24 by means of screws 25.

In accordance with the present invention, an adjustable support 26supports the sill bracket which is held in place by fasteners 27 and 28.The adjustable support permits the bracket and hence the sill to beleveled so that the sill is flush with the surface of the floor 29 whilethe support rests on the concrete base 30. In addition to providing forthe leveling of the sill, the adjustable support 26 also compensates forthe depth between the bottom 31 of the concrete recess 32 and the sillbracket. The adjustable support is fixed to the bottom of the concreterecess by means of fasteners 33' and 34. One or more of such adjustablesupports may be employed along the length of the sill to hold the latterin place. The length of the sill, on the other hand, is determinedessentially by the combined width of the doors used to close theentrance to the elevator shaft. It is desirable that support 26 beadjustable because .of the wide variation of the depth of the concreterecess that is encountered in diflerent buildings.

The constructional details of the adjustable support 26 of thisinvention are shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The support consists essentiallyof two angle members 35 and 36 provided with angle legs 35a and 35b and36a and 36b. The angle contains a series of slots which allow the anglesto be combined in a varying manner. Thus slot 37 in angle 35 mates withslot 38 in angle 36. FIGURE 4 shows that by moving angle 36 in relationto angle 35, the depth D is adjustable from the point where the leftends of slots 37 and 38 coincide to where their right ends coincide.Accordingly, the variation in D is equal to the projected height. Thedepth D corresponds to the distance between the bottom of sill bracket21 and the bottom 31 of the concrete recess. To fix the position ofangle 35 with respect to angle 36, the two angles are assembled withbolts 39 and 40 passing through the slots as shown in FIGURE 2. To holdthe angles together, these bolts 39 and 40 pass through both of theslots forming an X. The same variation in depth D may be obtained bymaking the slots parallel with the angle edges 41, rather than incliningthem as shown in FIGURE 4. However, by inclining the slots in the mannershown, it is possible for the adjustable support to sustain a greatersill load for a given set of bolts 39 and 40. Furthermore, by incliningthe slots in the particular manner shown, correct assembly of the anglesis assured, since the angles cannot be combined and fastened together inany other than the proper way.

The inclination of the slots also provides the feature which allows theangles to be adjusted in relation to one another in the lateral orhorizontal direction. This lateral direction is perpendicular to thatshown in depth D. The inclination of the slots, moreover, providesfreedom of motion in angular directions. Accordingly, the angles may betilted and oriented with respect to one another at different angles forpurposes of aligning and leveling the sill. The inclination of theslots, therefore, provides adjustability features in the vertical,horizontal, and angular directions.

FIGURE 3 when taken in relation to FIGURES 4 and 7, shows that withangles of different sizes and unequal legs, it is possible to obtainvariations in depth D over and beyond that allowable by the projectedheight of the slots. The principle involved in fastening together theangles of FIGURE 3 is identical to that described for FIGURE 4.

In accordance with the present invention, each of the two pairs ofangles may be combined to provide variations in depth so that it is onlynecessary to produce and stock two such pairs to accommodate depthranges which satisfy the variations in all present building conditions.FIG- URE 7 shows an example of how the two pairs of angles may becombined to provide variations in depth within the range from 1" to 5%".Of course if building conditions or other conditions change, the rangemay be increased or decreased by simply changing the size of the legs35a, 35b, 36a and 36b.

In accordance with the present invention, as shown in FIGURE 7a each ofthe angles 35 and 36 are provided with legs of unequal size. Theillustrative size of the legs are disclosed in the drawing itself, asare the extreme dimensions when the angles are combined as shown inFIGURES 7a and 7b. It will be understood, however, that the range ofadjustment may be virtually infinite. Within the extreme, that is, theangle may be adjusted as desired between various depths from 1" to 2".In FIGURE 7c angles are provided each having legs of 2" and 3%". Thevariations of adjustment in the extreme are shown in FIGURE 7d. Thisconstruction of angles may be adjusted to a variation of depths between2" and 5 /2".

The detailed construction of the sill bracket 21 is shown in FIGURES 2and 6. One end of the bracket is shaped into a pair of tongues 22 whichcontain holes 42 for admitting screws 25. The latter screws support thefacia plates 24. The bent-up section 43 contains a hole 44 for holdingthe screw 23 that serves to align the sill in the lateral direction.Holes 45 and 46 in the bracket allow fasteners 27 and 28 respectively topass through and fix the bracket to the adjustable support 26. Thebracket is entirely of integral construction and may be manufactured ofwrought, formed or extruded metal.

This invention therefore provides a new, novel, efiicient and completelyadjustable integral support particularly adapted for aligning andlevelling a sill and rail.

I claim:

1. An adjustable support for door sills or the like including anadjustable pair of angle supports having oppositely angled slotstherein, adjustable fastening means disposed in said slots to hold saidangle supports in the desired relative position with respect to eachother, a bracket fixed to the upper angle of said pair of anglesupports, said bracket having a tongue on one end engaged with a forwardlongitudinal slot on the sill and a struckup tongue spaced rearwardlyfrom said first tongue, and locking means on said struck-up tongueengaging a rearward longitudinal slot on the sill to lock said sill tosaid bracket.

2. The support of claim 1 wherein said adjustable fastening meanscomprises a bolt fastener disposed in said oppositely angled slots.

3. The support of claim 2 wherein said locking means is a set screwthreaded in said struck-up tongue to engage said rearward longitudinalslot on the sill.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 587,492 8/1897 Prouty 16-1052,649,612 8/ 1953 Loomis 16--94 FOREIGN PATENTS 718,597 9/ 1965 Canada.826,175 12/ 1959 Great Britain.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

